Rhinos are being killed everyday for sport. Such is the topic of this documentary which exposes a committed group of field rangers who are trained to stop poachers from murdering more animals. In one insightful monologue, one of the characters looks over a horn, lamenting the remainder of the creature that has been left to decay in its absence. Elsewhere, young men go through tremendous physical upheavals to prepare themselves for the day they face a foe.

Largely filmed in South Africa, Rhino Man is notable in that it features the late Anton Mzimba, a man who was shot dead in 2022. His interview segments are among the most illuminating, bringing a human perspective to the epidemic. Sobering statistics are painted across the screen – rhinos are being poached at a rate of one to two everyday – and early on the audience is informed that what is happening “is a systematic deletion of the rhino.”

Directors John Jurko II, Matt Lindenberg, and Daniel Roberts are balanced in their outlook: during their research, they discover that rhino powder was historically used for medicine. Over the years, the advances in remedies merited the use of endangered animals less necessary, but in recent years people selling horns have said it has the potential to cure cancer. As conspiracies go, this is a novel one; ridiculous too.

The triumvirate of creative people follow these rangers as they do extreme pushups, pull-ups and tough leg exercises. It’s for their training, making it easier to carry firearms and to maintain fitness against potential poachers. One man talks directly to the camera: he feels it’s his duty to tell his children about this endeavour. Those who sign up do it for a crusade dear to their hearts. That they are willing to undergo such extreme sports is an indication of this.

It’s possible to discern some of the flavours from David Attenburough’s BBC serial Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives, as both properties delve into the wonderment of earth sans hommes, but Rhino Man has the more polemical slant. How this project will go down with more conservative viewers who partake in animal-hunting has yet to be seen, yet there’s no denying the ambition of the work.

The cameras follow giraffes, rhinos and other creatures in a manner that is nominally reserved for magazines. During a charming segment, baby animals are fed milk, in the hope of building up their stamina and muscles. By placing the lens so close to the wildlife, the filmmakers humanise them; exposing them for the sentient beings they are. It’s harder to root for a hunter when those doe-like eyes are peering at you, eh?

Composer Simón Wilson crafts a haunting, sepulchral score that wafts over the people onscreen. In this environment, human and beast are a currency smaller than the vast grasses that surround them. Interestingly, the core subject of the film doesn’t revolve around apartheid: the rangers are made up of black and white soldiers who fight with equal force and passion.

At 96 minutes, Rhino Man marches along with great economy. Every beat leads neatly to the next one. If the film has a failing it is that it occasionally tones down the purging violence, as if to pander to younger audiences. Much of the anguish is implied, not shown. Nonetheless, the feature maintains an emotional undertone, letting the backdrop do the majority of the heavy-lifting for the documentarians. Which is a wise move: a work like this doesn’t need sweeping camera shots, or rapid-fire editing techniques. It has the research, the reverie and the gumption to fully realise the project at hand.

Rhino Man premiered at the Boulder International Film Festival.